Friday, July 20, 2007

My local Borders was hosting a Harry Potter party - and even though I was so tired that I could barely move, I somehow managed to propel myself from the couch, into my car, and to the store at 9:30 PM just as activities were getting underway.

I probably wouldn't have gone if I didn't have this life list, but I'm glad I did. All the people in costumes...the buzz of excitement...the general dorkiness of the occasion made it impossible to be grumpy.

There was no way I was going make it until midnight (when the new & last Harry Potter book goes on sale) so I bought a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and went on my way. (BTW, I will buy the book tomorrow - I'm so afraid of spoilers that I'll read this one a.s.a.p.)

When I got home, I called my son down from his room, and we worked our way through the flavors:

earwaxboogersausageblack peppervomitdirtsoaprotten eggpickleearthworm

I don't know how those people on Fear Factor do things like eat blenders full of slugworms, because I was eating a candy I knew was nothing but sugar and flavoring, and I was nearly hurling. I was especially grossed out by booger, vomit and rotten egg...although I was determined to try them all. My son actually LIKED the sausage and dirt and ate them all (so I guess the next time he compliments my cooking, perhaps I shouldn't be all that flattered).

When the 6th book came out, I was working at the local radio station. I was brought in to judge a Bertie Botts Every Flavor Bean eating contest between one of the news guys and one of the newspaper guys. We were live on the radio! They were told what flavors were laid out just not what was what. It was the funniest moment! I thought they were going to vomit the vomit ones. I really wish it was live on TV not the radio. The looks on the guys faces were priceless.

I was able to try them afterwards and I really liked the grass flavored ones. I'm strange, I know.

You are braver by far than I! I got some Bertie Bott's in my stocking last year, and after eating the first one--soap flavour--I was queasy for 20 minutes. The rest of them quietly and with no further ado made their way into the garbage can.

ha ha! that's funny. i guess that could be life lister for friday as well. i have never been brave enough to eat them but in honor of the last book and since we were having a reading party with all of the harry potter candies i just figured it wouldn't be the same without the bertie bott beans. i only ate two. the first one was cinnamon or some other benign flavor and the second was a weird one. i don't know what flavor it was. it might have been soap. but i just poured them into my hand and ate them blindly. i am saving them for the re-reads (again) of harry potter so i can eat them when they do.

And if you like the idea of Life Lists, check out my novel, THE NEXT THING ON MY LIST. It tells the story of a woman who is trying to complete a Life List for someone who died before she had a chance to finish it herself.